Box office feels winter chill

Broadway Grosses

NEW YORK — Week 35 (Jan. 22-28) was a cold one in Gotham, but the late-January drop in Broadway sales so remarkable during the prior frame leveled off somewhat. The 27 shows on the boards brought in some $14.5 million, down from the $14.8 million of the prior week.

That $300,000 dip, however, can be largely attributed to “The Coast of Utopia,” which sold $299,449 in tickets the previous week but went dark as cast and crew were in technical rehearsal for part three, “Salvage.”

It was a mixed bag of ups and downs along the Rialto, but no show saw a major shift in either direction.

“The Lion King,” up about $50,000, posted the highest gain of the week, followed by “The Apple Tree,” which climbed by about $39,000.

Steepest drop of the week befell “The Phantom of the Opera,” down $74,000. “The Vertical Hour” fell more than $40,000.

Otherwise, the individual bumps and dips were no more than $25,000 each.

“The Color Purple,” which took a major tumble in the prior frame, began a slow climb back up. Long-runners “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Producers” and “Hairspray” also regained some ground.

“Spring Awakening” stepped up about $17,000; fellow Off Broadway import “Grey Gardens” inched up around $10,000.

“Translations” was down about $20,000 in its opening week, but strong reviews could provide a lift.

The 22 musicals grossed $13,783,664 for 95.1% of the Broadway total, with attendance of 181,501 at 74.3% capacity.

The four plays grossed $706,881 for 4.9% of the Broadway total, with attendance at 12,767 at 49.2% capacity.

Average paid admission was $75.94 for musicals, $55.37 for plays and $74.59 for all shows.